Tuesday was dedicated to charitable giving. It also was a day for thieves to perfect their opportunistic online trolling.

Email inboxes were flooded with pleas from nonprofits on Giving Tuesday hoping holiday gift-buyers would funnel cash to their causes. Offers of gift-matching and doubling donations were in mammoth supply.

What didn't come with the requests for help was instruction for separating legitimate nonprofit groups from the unscrupulous and fraudulent ones.

This is the season when the list of stories of kind-hearted Oregonians being scammed grows long.

As does the list of inventive ways of defrauding people. Criminals aren't content to just phone unsuspecting residents these days. The scams come into our email and now via text messages, too.

There are ways we can protect ourselves and our families from deceit.

The Better Business Bureau advises being cautious when shopping online. With chip-card readers at brick-and-mortar stores reducing bogus transactions for in-person shopping, thieves have taken to targeting online shoppers instead.

The BBB recommends using credit, not debit, cards when making online donations and double-checking the web address. Look for the "s" in the https web address (which stands for 'secure') as well as the lock symbol. If you see an URL with extra words or different letters in it, be suspicious.

Phony charities capitalize on the generous mood many feel during the holidays, and they fake solicitations under the guise of helping others in need. Be cautious, especially when social-media sites share narratives with few verifiable details.

The temptation to give is strong, but take a few moments to check out unsolicited appeals.

Law enforcement and the BBB recommend vetting charities on sites such as Give.org or charitynavigator.org. These sites monitor charities so donors can give with confidence. Vetting is as simple as entering the name of the organization.

For instance, by writing in "Willamette Humane Society" on Charity Navigator, a potential donor can learn its rating score, out of a possible 100 points, is 91.35, and it gets a four-star rating. Wounded Warrior Project, which had some high-profile issues a few years' back, now has a 86.02 rating and three stars.

While Giving Tuesday has come and gone for the year, we hope Oregonians recognize the need to help others never ends.

Just make sure your donation is going to a worthy and verifiable cause.

Carol McAlice Currie is the opinions editor for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at ccurrie@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6746.